The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is undertaking a $1 million comprehensive analysis of Atlanta’s water lines after major main breaks resulted in a nearly week-long water crisis that left thousands without safe drinking water.
The Savannah and Mobile Districts of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said in a June 14 news release it was collaborating with the Atlanta watershed department on the $1 million “risk, resiliency, and water line condition assessment study.”
The initiative aims to evaluate risks and enhance the resiliency of the city of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management’s drinking water system. It could take up to two years to complete.
The study follows serious water main breaks in Vine City and Midtown on May 31 that wreaked havoc across large swaths of the city through June 6. Mayor Andre Dickens called a state of emergency. Businesses were closed, events were canceled, and city officials wrestled with keeping the public informed as crews worked around the clock to make repairs.
Dickens told the city council at its June 3 meeting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would be helping the city with assessing its roughly 3,000 mile water line infrastructure.
“We have sought their assistance because they are the government entity that has the most actual experience in the type of crisis that we are dealing with — crumbling and aging infrastructure,” Dickens said. “They will assist us as we identify and address the vulnerabilities of our current water system.”
For example, corroded steel pipes more than 80 years old burst at Joseph E. Boone Boulevard and James P. Brawley Drive in the city’s first major break. Hours later, at the intersection of 11th and West Peachtree streets, a nearly century-old pipe broke that proved difficult to fix.
When the assessment is finished, the city will receive a list strategies to determine the existing condition and an estimate on the remaining useful life of the pipelines.
The city will also get a long-term capital planning for any necessary corrective actions, including rehabilitation or replacement,” according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
